Shoe Construction and Method of Manufacture

ABSTRACT

A shoe construction and method of manufacture a shoe that provides an improved arch support that is customized and self-adjusted to provide maximum comfort and support, even when the shape of the arch changes during movement. The shoe construction includes an outsole layer, a midsole layer, a cushion layer and a lining layer. The arch support of the shoe is formed with a midsole layer made of a relatively soft material that increasing its width from the outsole layer such that the arch support flexes when pressure from a foot is placed on it.

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent applicationSer. No. 61/920192, filed on Dec. 23, 2013, which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a shoe construction and a method ofmanufacture of a shoe that improves the comfort of the wearer whilemaintaining support. In particular, the shoe of the present inventionprovides improved flexible arch support and cushioning of the insole.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shoes are worn to not only protect the feet, but for decorativepurposes. Comfort is and has always been an important feature for shoes.Support for the feet is also an important feature. Shoes that are verycomfortable may not provide enough support to the feet. Similarly, shoesthat are very supportive of the feet may not provide enough comfort. Itis a fine balance between comfort and support.

Typical prior art arch support for a foot is stiff (or static) anduncomfortable. Since each person has a different foot and arch shape, astiff and static arch support cannot be one-size-fit-all. Even forcustomized shoe construction, a properly shaped, but stiff, arch supportcannot be fully supportive as the shape of the arch changes with normalwalking movement. In prior art shoes, additional, albeit minimal,comfort to the arch support is provided by having a soft layer above thestiff arch support. Therefore, there is a need for a shoe constructionthat provide a proper balance of both comfort and support, in particularat the arch support.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a shoe construction that achieves anappropriate balance between comfort and support.

The shoe construction of the present invention provides an improved archsupport that is customized and self-adjusted to provide maximum comfortand support, even when the shape of the arch changes during movement.

The shoe construction of the present invention includes an outsolelayer, a midsole layer, a cushion layer and a lining layer. The archsupport of the shoe is formed with the midsole layer increasing itswidth from the outsole layer. With the midsole layer made of arelatively soft material, the arch support flexes when pressure from afoot is placed on it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been chosen forpurposes of illustration and description and are shown in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of the specification wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional view taken at the arch support looking atthe rear half of a shoe of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION

With reference to the drawing, there is shown in FIG. 1, across-sectional view taken across the arch support portion 20 of a leftshoe 10. The shoe 10 has the following layers from the bottom up:outsole 12, midsole 14, cushion 16, and lining 18.

The outsole layer 12 may be made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) orthermoplastic elastomer (TPR).

The midsole layer 14 may be made of a relatively soft polyurethane (PU),ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or rubber. Preferably, the midsole layer 14has a hardness of around 65-70 durometers, which is generally softerthan the mid-sole layer of prior art shoes.

The cushion layer 16 may be made of memory foam or a cork filler. Thecushion layer 16 preferably provides cushioning that is light weight andadheres well to the midsole layer 14 and lining layer 18. A benefit ofusing a cork filler cushion layer 16 is that due to the cellularstructure of cork, it conforms to the contour of the user's foot whenweight is put upon it.

The lining layer 18 may be made of a soft leather, such as nakedsheepskin or naked deerskin, which provides added softness against auser's sole. Further, soft leather works well with a memory foamcushioning layer 16.

The width of the midsole layer 14 increases from the outsole layer 12such that the arch support portion 20 of the shoe 10 is curved away fromthe side edges of the outsole layer 12. Due to the softness of themidsole layer 14, the arch support portion 20 may flex in any direction,such as in directions of arrows A, when a user puts or relieves pressureon the insole, increasing the comfort level to the user withoutsacrificing the proper arch support to the user. The flexibility of archsupport portion 20 advantageously permits the arch support portion 20 toflex and return to its original shape while providing natural maximumsupport and comfort to the user. When a user walks with the shoe 10, theheel of his/her foot would first strike the shoe 10, then with theforward rolling action, the ball of his/her foot would strike the shoe10. During the entire forward rolling action, the arch support portion20 moves up and down to fully support the arch of the user.

The shoe 10 of the present invention may be manufactured with a shoelast having a noticeably convex lower surface (prior art shoe lasttypically has a substantially flat lower surface). As a result, as shownin FIG. 1, the midsole layer 14 and the cushion layer 16 have a concaveconstruction with raised side edges. Due to the combination of theflexing of the arch support portion 20, the concave midsole layer 14 andcushion layer 16, the cushioning of the shoe 10 feels much thickerwithout the need to increase the thickness of the cushion layer 16.Simply increasing the thickness of the cushion layer 16 would notprovide the proper support and fit of the shoe because while a thickcushion layer 16 may be more comfortable, it would detrimentally affectthe fit and support of the shoe.

The shoe construction and the method of manufacture of the shoe of thepresent invention can be used for all types of shoes, including flats,heels, pumps, wedges, etc.

The features of the invention illustrated and described herein is thepreferred embodiment. Therefore, it is understood that the specificationis intended to cover unforeseeable embodiments with insubstantialdifferences that are within the spirit of the specification.

What I claim is:
 1. A shoe having an arch support, comprising: a. anoutsole layer having a predetermined width; b. a midsole layer abovesaid outsole layer; c. a lining layer above said midsole layer having apredetermined width wider than said outsole layer; wherein said midsolelayer increasing its width from said outsole layer to said lining layerto form the arch support; and wherein said midsole layer is made of amaterial having a hardness of between around 65-70 durometers, such thatthe arch support flexes when pressure is placed on it and the archsupport returns to its original position when pressure is removed fromit.
 2. The shoe of claim 1 further comprising a cushion layer betweensaid midsole layer and said lining layer.
 3. The shoe of claim 1 whereinsaid outsole layer is made of a thermoplastic polyurethane.
 4. The shoeof claim 1 wherein said outsole layer is made of a thermoplasticelastomer.
 5. The shoe of claim 1 wherein said midsole layer is made ofpolyurethane.
 6. The shoe of claim 1 wherein said midsole layer is madeof ethylene vinyl acetate.
 7. The shoe of claim 1 wherein said midsolelayer is made of rubber.
 8. The shoe of claim 2 wherein said cushionlayer is made of memory foam.
 9. The shoe of claim 2 wherein saidcushion layer is made of cork filler.
 10. The shoe of claim 1 whereinsaid lining layer is made of soft leather.
 11. The method ofmanufacturing a shoe having an arch support, comprising the steps of: a.providing an outsole having a predetermined width; b. providing a shoelast having a convex lower surface; c. providing a midsole layer havinga hardness of between around 65-70 durometers, above said outsole layer;d. providing a lining layer above said midsole layer having apredetermined width wider than the outsole layer; and e. forming themidsole layer with a concave surface with said shoe last and withincreasing width from the outsole layer to the lining layer to form thearch support.
 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step ofproviding a cushion layer between said midsole layer and said lininglayer.
 13. The method of claim 11 wherein said outsole layer is made ofthermoplastic polyurethane.
 14. The method of claim 11 wherein saidoutsole layer is made of thermoplastic elastomer.
 15. The method ofclaim 11 wherein said midsole layer is made of polyurethane.
 16. Themethod of claim 11 wherein said midsole layer is made of ethylene vinylacetate.
 17. The method of claim 11 wherein said midsole layer is madeof rubber.
 18. The method of claim 12 wherein said cushion layer is madeof memory foam.
 19. The method of claim 12 wherein said cushion layer ismade of cork filler.
 20. The method of claim 11 wherein said lininglayer is made of soft leather.